Like the Wind by J. Bengtsson

Narrated by Callie Dalton and Zachary Webber

In spite of how often I find myself reading/listening to them, I’m actually not a fan of the trope of Hot Superstar/Movie Star/Rock Star hero meets normal/down on her luck heroine of his dreams. I’m still embarrassed by my crush on the Monkees, ok?, where, yeah, I was sure if they met ME, normal me, we would totally be best friends and I wouldn’t be one of those screaming fans. Right. And now I’ve overshared.

Still, I had enjoyed the author’s Cake where another rock star meets another normal woman of his dreams, so I took a chance on Like the Wind. Bodhi isn’t just some hot rock star – he’s a former, exceedingly famous child TV (or movie?) star turned hot boy band lead, so his entire life has been about celebrity, all driven by his single father/manager. His mother had left them and died some years ago, and his father had become a monster, fame-driven, stage dad who controlled every single aspect of his life. Even though Bodhi’s no longer a minor, his rebellious ways have him banished to the hills of Los Angeles for some peace and quiet and retrospection. Then there was the wildfire.

Breeze isn’t exactly down-on-her-luck, at least, if you call someone with a home (rented from a cranky, overbearing landlord who’s threatening to evict her), a couple jobs (hair stylist, house sitter) and a supportive family not down on their luck. She’s house-sitting in the hills of Los Angeles with several quirky pets as the story opens. Then there was the wildfire.

It’s escaping the wildfire that brings them together when Bodhi almost runs down the woman with the pet carriers/dogs who appears in front of the car he’s sort of stolen from the house he left. Together, Hot, Famous Pop Star, hair stylist and quirky pets try to find their way out of the firestorm and…

Well, it’s romance, so we all know where this is going. But it’s not just a pat boy-meets-girl-and-love-ensues tale. Bengtsson gives her characters depth and reality, and although they are meeting under the worst of circumstances, their transition from strangers to friends to lovers was compelling. Breeze struggles with the realities of Bodhi’s fame, especially when she tries unsuccessfully to disguise him and learns why celebrities have full time security and body guards. She also accompanies Bodhi on his journey, both actual and metaphorical, to discovering some hard truths about his past, and “finding himself” has a different sort of twist.

Callie Dalton has been a favorite of mine reading the various Mariana Zapata stories – she has a young sound that works well with the 20-somethings in Zapata’s and Bengtsson’s books. Her voice often has a sort of tough girl undertone, and her acting skills are a good fit for the types of characters these authors write. She differentiates only slightly, really, between characters and genders but it’s enough to follow the story. Zachary Webber is one of several male romance narrators bringing many of these dual point-of-view stories to life right now – he was also a good fit for the slightly narcissistic Bodhi (not a comment on Webber as a person, mind you, just the voice!) with a strong, youthful-sounding reading. Both narrators do the sex scenes really well – no breathy, angsty, over-the-top stuff here, just a straightforward performance that captures the emotions without making you feel like you’re actually, physically (awkwardly) in the room with them. They have just the right chemistry between them, although they don’t read any of the scenes together – it’s a dual, not a duet, performance.

I enjoyed the story – even with that Famous Hero falls for Normal Heroine trope – and the narration, and it’s in the Romance Package, so Win Win Win!

PS: there are several details of the story I don’t actually remember, and the Kindle edition isn’t even released yet, so I can’t look them up: where exactly the fire was, how many and what kinds of pets (at least 1 cat and 1 dog, and something else??), stuff like that. This is why I write reviews, to help me recall the story – and they’re like dreams, the further away in time I am, the fewer details I remember. Apologies in advance for wrong details!

Melinda